President William Ruto has taken an apparent swipe at Wiper party leader Kalonzo Musyoka when he mounted a spirited defense on upcoming animal vaccination drive set to begin in January 2025.
Speaking at the Pastoralist Leadership Summit, the head of state , dismissed Kalonzo’s allegations that the vaccines would be coming from abroad as he reiterated that Kenya had sufficient resources to produce her own vaccines.
“And for the avoidance of doubt, the vaccines that will be used, are produced in Kenya, by Kenyans,” Ruto added.
“Kevevapi, our institution is going to produce these vaccines. We have one of the largest vaccine producers in Africa. Today, we are selling vaccines to other countries.”
Ruto further gave further insight into why the government was keen on investing in the welfare of livestock as he revealed his intention to invest in the local leather industry.
According to Kalonzo, the vaccination campaign was funded by foreign institutions that sought to introduce drugs meant to modify livestock’s genes.
“We take note with alarm that these vaccinations developed overseas have been rejected everywhere else in the world, including the home country United States,” Kalonzo alleged at the SKM command center alongside Eugene Wamalwa, Jeremiah Kioni, and Ferdinand Waititu.
In November, Ruto spoke during the Maa Cultural Festival held near the Samburu National Reserve in Samburu County where he revealed he had allocated KSh 1 billion for restocking of livestock lost during drought in the Northern parts of the country.
The President further announced the government’s target of vaccinating 22 million cattle and 50 million goats and sheep.